In front of the Poneglyph.
"Everything recorded here is the history of Alabasta. There is no mention of Pluton."
Robin looked straight at Crocodile and spoke calmly.
"Say that again!"
Crocodile glared at her, his expression dark.
He couldn't understand the Poneglyph.
But he knew that the carving on the Poneglyph dated back to before Alabasta, so how could it record the kingdom's history?
Was she treating him like a fool?
If Robin weren't the only one who could decipher the Poneglyph, he would've drawn his sword and killed her on the spot.
"I said there is no information about Pluton."
Robin remained composed and repeated herself right in his face.
Of course, she was lying. It clearly stated that Pluton was hidden in Wano Country.
But she didn't want such a deadly weapon falling into the hands of someone as cruel as Crocodile, so she lied.
Looking at Crocodile's furious expression, Robin felt a flicker of satisfaction.
The five-year plan to seize the kingdom, the Baroque Works that he painstakingly built—it had all been destroyed by Caelan.
He had finally gotten close to clues about Pluton, and even the translator who had worked with him for years dared to betray him.
Crocodile clenched his fists, on the verge of snapping.
Off to the side, Cobra was stunned. He had thought Crocodile was about to succeed, but it turned out someone even stronger had been hiding in the shadows.
Cobra looked at Robin curiously. This woman also had a story.
"If this only concerns Alabasta's history, then you're useless to me."
Crocodile stared coldly at Robin, his face grim.
Unfortunately for him, Robin didn't look afraid at all. She stayed calm throughout.
Even if she knew where Pluton was, she would never tell him.
To him now, Robin really was useless.
Crocodile clenched his fists and was about to end Robin's life.
Watching Crocodile's movements, Robin closed her eyes, filled with regret.
It was unfortunate she still hadn't found the Poneglyph that recorded the Void Century, and she couldn't fulfill Ohara's final wish.
It was unfortunate she couldn't live on for Saul and her mother.
"Dereshi, Dereshi, shi, shi, shi."
At the end of her life, Robin chose to recall Saul's laughter.
Seeing Robin's strange smile, Crocodile was so angry.
Even facing death, she still wanted to mock him?
Crocodile struck out, aiming to kill Robin with one blow.
Just as his fist was about to hit her, a giant sword flew over.
Boom!
The enormous sword carried massive force, instantly knocking Crocodile away and slamming him into the wall.
"Looks like I got here just in time."
Caelan walked into the funeral hall with Vivi in his arms.
"It's Vivi and Warrior Caelan!"
Cobra's eyes lit up and he immediately brightened.
"Dad! I'm so glad you're still alive!"
Vivi rushed to Cobra, beaming with joy.
Robin stared at Caelan in a daze, feeling somewhat grateful.
Sure enough, even if she had prepared herself to die, surviving still felt better.
"What, you're rushing to die too?!"
Crocodile got up from the wall with a twisted grin.
Caelan had ruined his plans time and time again, completely shattering everything he'd worked for.
Now, he even dared to interfere when Crocodile was about to deal with a traitor. He couldn't tolerate it anymore.
"Not really. I just saw how lonely you looked and thought I'd help you reunite with your subordinates."
Caelan spoke with a straight face, as if he truly meant it.
"..."
Crocodile's face twitched, and the grin on his face quickly turned gloomy.
The next moment, he could no longer suppress his fury and let out a furious roar.
"What a joke!"
"Do you even know who you're facing!!!"
"I'm Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!!!"
Crocodile bent his right hand into a claw and slashed toward Caelan with force.
But Caelan didn't dodge or move. He let the attack land directly.
Seeing Caelan act so arrogantly, Crocodile grinned viciously.
He had already imagined the sight of Caelan's stomach being ripped open.
Swish!
Crocodile's claws tore through Caelan's clothes, leaving several bloody gashes on his body.
"How is this possible?!"
Crocodile stared at Caelan in disbelief.
That attack had been full of rage and was one of his strongest moves.
Back when he pretended to be a hero in Alabasta, this single claw had been enough to kill pirates.
But now, it only left superficial wounds on Caelan's body.
Was his physical strength just that overwhelming?
"You're strong, I'll give you that."
Caelan felt the sting of the wound and smiled.
That kind of power really deserved to be taken seriously.
But then Caelan glanced around the unstable funeral hall and decided to take the battle elsewhere.
If the place collapsed during the fight, he'd be fine, but Vivi and the others would be in real danger.
"I'd rather not be buried underground. Let's fight somewhere more open."
"Armament Haki, coat!"
Caelan's right hand turned black as he backhanded and grabbed Crocodile's right arm.
"Haki?!"
Crocodile's pupils shrank, immediately sensing something was wrong.
Swish!
While Crocodile was still shocked, Caelan dragged him out of the burial hall and into the desert outside the palace.
Before leaving, Caelan didn't forget to pick up his giant sword.
"You actually know how to use Haki?!"
Crocodile snapped out of it, broke free from Caelan's grip with ease, and stared at him in disbelief.
Back in the New World, Haki users were everywhere. If you didn't know at least one or two types of Haki, you weren't even qualified to call yourself a pirate.
But in the first half of the Grand Line, especially near the starting point, Haki was a rarity.
Yet Caelan had completely upended his expectations.
Not only did he know Haki, but his control was also incredibly refined.
"What? You don't?"
Caelan looked at Crocodile, the corners of his mouth lifting.
"You…!"
Crocodile's expression turned ugly.
Of course he knew about Haki. But he hadn't trained it much and was still at the beginner level.
After failing to challenge Whitebeard, he retreated to the first half of the Grand Line.
There were no enemies here that required Haki to defeat. With just the powers of the Sand-Sand Fruit, he could dominate.
So without any real training, his Haki had never developed.
Now, compared to Caelan's Haki, his own seemed worthless.
To be upstaged by a rookie in the Grand Line infuriated Crocodile.
It was true, Crocodile hadn't expected someone new to the Grand Line to be capable of using Haki.
But he wasn't afraid. Back in the New World, he had defeated plenty of powerful opponents who could use Haki.
(To be continued.)
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